Irish sprinter Sam Bennett, left, said his team did a great job but others had taken advantage of his error. He felt very good sprinting and during the stage.
Sam Bennett has said he is optimistic for the sprints to come at the Giro and believes he made a mistake in hitting the front too early today.
Only two men got past him; winner Elia Viviani (QuickStep) and runner-up Jakob Mareczko (Willier Triestina).
Both of them came from behind Bennett; opening their sprints up a little sooner and getting the jump on him.
Looking back on his sprint after the race, the Irishman said the team had worked well for him.
But he believed hitting the front so early wasn't the right option on Giro stage 2 into Tel Aviv.
“Like always, the first sprint stage in a Grand Tour gets pretty frantic in the end because everybody is fresh and motivated," he said.
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"Our team worked very well and we were in a good position going into Tel Aviv. In the final kilometre I was in front too early.
"I decided to wait a moment before launching my sprint. Viviani took advantage of the situation. And I had to settle for third.
"But the sensations were pretty good during the day and also in the sprint. I am optimistic for tomorrow´s third stage."
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Viviani looked to be too far back initially, as Sam Bennett was ever-present near the front in the finale.
However, the eventual winner then placed himself on Bennett's wheel; one of the two fastest men in the race marking the other.
And when Mareczko opened up his sprint early, he shot past Viviani, who jumped onto his wheel.
It meant both of them went past Bennett already sprinting hard. And by the time Bennett reacted and got on top of the gear, Viviani had come off Mareczko's wheel and was darting towards the line for victory.
However, Bennett clearly feels he can do better, and that his legs are good.
He has already beaten Viviani for a win this year; pushing him into 2nd place at Race Melbourne.
And while the Italian is having a great year, Bennett knows he can beat any of the fastest men in the world on his day.
He will hopefully get another chance tomorrow after today's 3rd place into Tel Aviv.
Tomorrow – 229km from Be’er Sheva to Eilat – looks a little more undulating. But it is still a profile that should suit the sprinters.
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